Annals of Library Science and Documentation 1986,33(3),117-125

DEVELOPrvtENT OF EXPLORATION GEOPHYSICSAND ITS I'NFORMATION ACTIVITIES

Traces the development of exploration geo-physics as a scientific discipline and discussesthe factors responsible for its development.Recent trends in geophysical research are dis-cussed briefly. Details of professional societiesand their role in controlliny the informationactivites are given. Publication trends of twoleading journals in exploration geophysics arepresented in tabular and graphical forms.

INTRODUCTION

Earth sciences have a large data base and richliterature. Since geological information retainsits value for a considerable period of time,the data and information are stored in a varietyof forms as permanent record for future con-sultation, correlation and utilization for furtherstudies. Like other sciences, earth sciences havebeen accumulating a vast amount of data andthe process is exponential since last threedecades.

Geophysics has contributed a major pro-portion of data to earth sciences. Explorationgeophysics is still a very young scientific dis-cipline, but has been developing very fast sincelast two decades. The growth uf data and in-formation has accelerated of late because of newventures in offshore prospecting and availabilityof technology.

DEVELOPMENT OF EXPLORATION GEO-PHYSICS AS A SCIENTIFIC DISCIPLINE

Before the information activities are discussed,it would be helpful to discuss the various aspectsof development in exploration geophysics as thedevelopment of exploration geophysics as ascientific discipline is directly related with thedevelopment of information activities in thisfield. The points like formation of professional

Vol 33 No 3 September 1986

DAVENDRA K. GUPTADepartment of Library StudiesUniversity of IbadanlbadanNigeria

societies and associations, their activities for thepromotion and progress ofthe discipline, publi-cation of journals,' state-Of-art reports of geo-physical data and other forms of literature andinformation would be considered later. Here, Iwould like to discuss the aspects of developmentof the subject as an independent discipline andfactors responsible for the growth of data andinformation in exploration geophysics.

HISTORICAL :PEVELOPMENT

Methods of geophysical prospecting in a wayas we see them today started about 1923 formineral exploration and since then they havebecome increasingly important because of oilexploration. Mediunin [6 J has given a goodhistorical account of the development of geo-physics and has argued that exploration hasemerged as an independent scientific discipline.De Golyer[3] has reviewed the developmentof gravity and seismic methods in early thirtiesof this century. Heiland[5J 'and Rust[7J des-cribed some of the early attempts to employelectrical methods. Eckhardt [4J a pioneer inthe field has given,an excellent historical accountof instruments and techniques used in gravita-tional methods. Schriever [8J recounts theexperimental work attempting to develop thereflection seismic methods in early 1920s.Weatherby [9 J has given a general historicalaccount of seismic methods. The early de-velopments in the methods of explorationgeophysics have been described by these autho-rities. Later developments have been reviewedby the experts in the various issue of pro-fessional journals of exploration geophysics.The most interesting review articles appearedin Geophysics in the years 1955 to 1958.Although these articles are addressed to thescientists but they are equally important and

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interesting fot the librarians and documenta-lists to prepare state-of-art reports on varioustopics in exploration geophysics. The fourthin the above mentioned series is one byWhite[10] who has reviewed technologicaldevelopments in exploration geophysics. An-other paper of Born [1] highlights the develop-ments of geophysical instrumentation. Theprogress of the development of geophysicalmethods - instrumentation, data processingand interpretation, achievements in exploring 0

more oil fields etc. are reviewed in one of theissues of Geophysics every year.

The most interesting thing to note fromall these reviews is that the development ofgeophysical prospecting methods was steady 0

upto 1940 and thereafter it started acceleratingat a faster rate and this rate has been veryfast during the last twenty years. Another 0

point of interest to note is that every geo-physical method has had its period of initial Importance of the properties of the naturaltrial, followed by its peak commercial appli- environmentcation over a period of few years. As areasamenable to a particular method have beenstudied and covered, the popularity or appli-cation of the method decreased and it wasreplaced by other methods. The succession ofone method after another sometimes followedrapidly. At other times there has been con-siderable lapse of time between peak applica-tions of various methods. Each method hashad a limited period of maximum commercialutility and activity because r; either eventuallycovered the most amenable areas, or else wassucceeded by a narrower technique (modified/ 1.refined) having economic advantages. A niceand detailed description regarding the dis-coveries of new fields and relationship withdevelopment of new ideas and method is given 2.in the Bulletin of American Association ofPetroleum Geologists in 1958 in its fourthissue.

FACfORS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE DE-VELOPMENT OF EXPLORATION GEO-PHYSICS

Important characteristics of modern sciencesin their development is their utilitarianism.Today, earth sciences are of tremendous im- 3.portance providing the minerals as raw ma-terials for industry. The data of earth scienceshelp to ensure the most profitable and expedientinteraction of human society and nature. Over

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the ages, this interaction has been growingever more deep and diversified. Through thisdiversity two important tendencies can betraced: firstly, the utilization of natural re-sources, and secondly, reasonable considerationand utilization of the properties of the naturalenvironment affecting man's activity.

Utilization of natural resources

Utilization of the total resources of usefulminerals in industry is rapidly increasing;

o Energy consumption by human society isincreasing in leaps and bounds;

Accelerating productive forces for econo-mic development;

Transforming the nature in the interest ofman.

Man's environment - the terrain, mineral re-sources, climate etc. greatly influence his acti-vity and sometimes determines various aspectsof it.

Geophysics among earth sciences andapplied geophysics have contributed their sharefor these causes in general and several otherfactors in particular. A few factors for, theprogress of exploration geophysics and relatedinformation activities are discussed as below:

Chiefly due to stiff commercial competi-tion, exploration geophysics is a dynamicart continually changing and increasing;

The main incentive to modern explorationgeophysics was the search and its successfor oil during the early years of this cen-tury. An increased demand of oil and theinadequacy of the haphazard methods ofthe early "wild catter" in meeting thedemand forced the development of the newscience of petroleum geology and with itthe effective tools of geophysical explora-tion;

Geophysical methods have been success-ful in the search for oil primarily becauseof their ability to determine the geologicstructures and mapping conditions favour-able for oil accumulation;

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DEVELOPMENT OF EXPLORATION GEOPHYSICS

4. In its struggle to keep up with ever in-creasing demand for its products, the oilindustry is expending great effort andenormous sums of money to find new oiland gas resources - directly or indirectlyinvested in the development of explorationgeophysics;

5. Developments in physics, electronics, andother scientific disciplines have directly in-fluenced the development of explorationgeophysics;

6. Development in modern technology, tomention a few, computer technology,satellite communication, aviation and ship-ping transport means;

7. Geophysical instrumentation dependedupon the development of electronics andmechanical engineering, designing, develop-ing and construction of instruments waslargely influenced by the development ofthese fields;

8. Techniques of recording were improvedwith the improved quality and means ofrec?rding. Co~puter technology has beenmainly responsible for this progress. Air-borne and ship borne recording has im-proved enormously with the developmentof technology. Better menas of communi-cation have mostly influenced this develop-ment;

9. Te~hniques of data processing and interpre-tation have tremendously improved withthe increasing application of computers andcomputer graphics;

10. Modelling and simulation techniques havedeveloped to the same extent for thesimilar reasons and ability of equipmentsand better facilities available in the labo-ratories;

11. Offshore ventures and the recent success ofgeophysical methods to discover more re-serves, and ability of modern technology totackle hazardous problems of offshoreproduction has boosted the progress ofexploration geophysics. Now mote funds,more p~ople (scientists and technologists)are available for the development of thisscience.

Vol 33 No 3 September1986

In short, it could be said that the scienceand art of exploration has in general kept pacewith the advance of civilization and the improve-ment in methods for refining and conservingmineral resources. The development of explo-ration geophysics is global and it is expectedthat the present trend would. continue even at afaster rate in the coming years.

RECENT RESEARCH TRENDS IN EXPLO-RATION GEOPHYSICS

The combination of the future development,differentiation of sciences and the developmentof geophysics led to an independent scientificdiscipline, namely Exploration Geophysics ~hichis characterised as a particular research subjectand a set of particular techniques; Now thefuture development in the methods of explora-tion geophysics, improvement and developmentof new instruments, new·techniques of measure-ment, processing and interpretation are notconceivable without further expansion and useof theory of exploration geophysics and corres-ponding physical and geological principles.Therefore, there is a shift in thinking from theprevious concepts of accumulating data andfacts only to the new trend of explaining them.Some new trends of research ill exploration geo-physics are discussed below:

Field Recording

The normal field recording for commercial pur-poses continues with more refined techniquesand more sophisticated materials and instru-mented. New techniques like remote sensingand holography are being experimented.Em-phasis is more toward offshore surveys,

Study of physical and physico-chemical para-meters of rocks and real media on which thevarious geophysical methods are based

Complex investigations of physical propertiesof rocks under both natural and laboratory con-ditions (under varied temperatures and pres-sures) are being performed in order to under-stand relationships between geological and geo-physical characteristics. Theoretical principlesof direct and indirect methods for prospectingare being formulated.

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The study of characteristics and properties of INFORMATION ACTIVITIES IN EARTH SCI-the various geophysi'2-al fields: (modelling ENCES AND EXPLORATION GEOPHYSICSstudies)

New means for exciting geophysical fields basedon model studies are being examined. Models ofvarious features of the earth are constructedand tested to ascertain their response to givenvariation in physic"ii parameters. Studies areaimed to predict geophysical fields in complexmodels of real media.

The study of the relation between geophysicalfields and the medium, construction of im-proved models of media and development ofinterpretation methods

Based on the investigations above, newmethods of interpretation are being developed.

Computer Softwares are being developed tosolve complex problems of data processing andinterpretation and also displaying the variouskinds of maps and sections.

Development 'of instruments

There is a new trend of thinking, designing anddeveloping more- sophisticated electronic equip-ments - mostly computer based - more compactand portable and capable of recording moreand more information of complex nature.

One could very distinguishingly note thatthe recent research and development trends inexploration geophysics are of the same natureas should have been for any scientific disciplineof applied nature. To summarise the aboveresearch and developments, two features couldbe noted with interest:

1. Trend for conducting fundamental or aca-demic research which includes laboratoryexperimentation, model and simulationstudies;

2. Trend for Research and Development typeof studies which include designing anddeveloping instruments, improvements inche materials used, development of com-puter softwaresfor automatic data acqui-sition, processing and interpretation andgraphic:tl display of results of interpreta-tion.

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The normal process of generating geoscientificinformation is collection of data from the fieldby collecting samples or by observations orrecordings; processing the data in the labora-tories and computer centres; interpreting theprocessed data in geological terms; and thenfinally submitting the report of investigationswith final results and recommendations.

Most of geophysical data are accumulatedby recording natural or artificially created geo-physical phenomenon by very sophisticatedelectromechanical instruments. The normaloutput of data is a reading or observation'noted in the field note books, or paper record ornow mostly in a tape record. The field datathus obtained in large quantity are preservedin the headquarters of most organizations andinstitutes and retrieved whenever required forreprocessing and reinterpretation manually or inmost cases now by computers. Processed datain the forms of graphs, charts, sections ormaps etc. are separately collected and pre-served for interpretation purposes and retrievedlater for reinterpretation purposes. Final reportsof investigations are then deposited in thecentral repository. Most of the data of this kindis of commercial and classified nature and keptconfidential within the organization for longtime, released later after a certain period foracademic and public use. This kind of literature,i.e, Report Literature is difficult to access andacquire for genera! consumption. Since this datai~' important and of commercial value and use,it is very systematically gathered, processed,organised, stored, maintained and retrieved butrarely disseminated. Another kind of data isthe normal primary literature published throughscientific journals or patented with the patent-ing authorities. Broadly, geophysical ~nforma-tion could be classified into two categories:

1. Commercial Information (field data, pro-cessed data and reports of investigations);

2. Scientific Information (primary researchfindings).

Scientific information has all the samecharacteristics and forms and its bibliographiccontrol as we observe in other disciplines ofscience and technology. Characteristics of

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DEVELOPMENT OF EXPLORATION GEOPHYSICS

geoscientific literature are describedby Craig[2].Geophysical information can be described as:Geophysical Information = Data + Literaturein all its forms.

Following discussion would be useful andhelpful to understand and appreciate the roleplayed by professional societies in promotingthe organization of geoscientific literature ingeneraland geophysical literature in particular.

PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS AND SO-CIETIES

Professional associations and societies play avery important role, promoting the scientificinterest of their members; promoting the de-velopment of areas and disciplinesto which theyare concerned with; disseminating knowledgeof science among members; maintaining pro-fessional standards; developing educational andtraining programmes for the students and fordeveloping competent manpower; establishingcontacts between the members and conductingmany such activities.

There are more than 100 such associationsand societies in earth sciences all over theworld. Gale's Encyclopedia of Associationsmentions about 28 associations in United Statesalone. These. organizations can be categorizedin their scope as national, regional and inter-national. Some of them cover broad field ofearth sciences, some of them geophysics and afew of them represent highly specialised fieldslike exploration geophysics. The details of feworganizations which are directly or indirectlyand partially concerned with exploration aregivenin the followingsection:

Society of Exploration Geophysists (SEG)

Address : Box 3098, Tulsa, Oklahoma, 7401(USA)

Founded in 1930; Members : 9442 (1975);Staff: 15; Local groups: 24

Donald C Barton organized society ofEconomic Geophysicists in 1930, with 46geologists and geophysicists. The Society ofPetroleum Geophysicists was founded in late1930, held its first convention in March 1931with Association of American Petroleum geo-logists. Only 57 papers were f,ublished during1930-1935, and there were on y 189 membersin 1935. The society started its own journal -

Vol 33 No 3 September 1986

Geophysics in January, 1936. Today, SEG'smembership is more than 10,000 represent-ing more than one hundred countries. It isprimarily an international organization ofexploration geophysicists. Table 1 gives thedata on membership of the society which isself explanatory to give an idea of its growth.

Table 1Membership ofSEG, 1930-1980

1930 46 members1935 189 "1955 4,764"1975 9,442"1980 13,550"

Table 2Publications in Geophysics, 1930-1980

Year / period No. of publications1930-1935 571936-1945 2941946-1955 4291956-1965 6461966-1975 7331976-1980 521

Table 3Publications in Geophysical Praspectiny,

1953-1980

Period No. of publications

1953-1955 141956-1965 2901966-1975 4171976~980 239

Note : Year to year distribution of publicationsof 'Geophysics' and 'Geophysical Pros-pecting' is shown in Figure 1.

Following figures give an idea about the diver-sity of membership:

40% members represent petroleum corn-panies;

20% members represent private ~ophysi.cal contractors/consultants

20% members represent mining and engi.neeringcompanies;

20%members represent academics.

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GEOPHYSICSGEOPHYSICAL PROSPECTING

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1936 1940 1944 1960 1965 1970 198019751948 1950 1953 1955

YEAR OF PUBLICATION

Fig. 1: Frequency Distribution of Publications in ExplorationGeophysics: 1'930-1980'

DEVELOPMENT OF EXPLORATION GEOPHYSICS

Society consists of 14 different committeesto look after the various affairs of the society.

Publicationso Geophysics (scientific "and professional

journal - now monthly);Yearbook;Monographs, glossaries, indexes and ~itemsof academic and professional interests;Proceedings of conventions and annualmeetings conference.

o

o

o

European Association of Explorationphysicists

Address: 30, Carl Van Bylandt laan,The Hague (Netherlands).

Founded : December, 1951; members:(1975 )

Geo-

2,500 0

EOS Transactions (monthly);Water Resources Research (biornonthly):Reviews of Geophysics and Space Physics(quarterly);Radio Science (monthly)

Some Russian journals are translating themcover to cover:

o

o

o

o

o Izvestiya: Atmospheric and Oceanic Phy-sics, (monthly);Izvestiya: Physics of the Solid Earth,(monthly);Geodesy and Aerophytography (bimoarhly)Geotectonics (bimonthly)Oceanology (bimonthly)Soviet Hydrology and Selected Papers(bimonthly)Soviet Antarctic Expedition InformationBulletin (irr~gular).

o

o

o

o

The association was founded with 300 0

active members which doubled in a year. Now,there are more than 3,000 members from sixtycountries. The percentage distribution in 1964was as below: American Geological Institute

FranceGermanyU.K.HollandItalyOthers

Publications

35%21%19%14%

6%5%

o Geophysical Prospecting (1953- quarterlyjournal);

Occasional papers;See Table 3 for distribution of publication(1953-1980)

o

*

American Geophysical Union

Adress : 1909, K St., N.W.Washington D.C. 20006 (USA)

Founded in 1919; members: 12,000Sections : Geodesy, geomagnetism, Paleomag-

netism; Hydrology; Meteorology; Oceano-graphy; Planetology; Seismology; Tectono-physics; Volcanology; Geochemistry andpetrology; and Exploration Geophysics;

Publications

o Joumal of Geophysical Research (3/month);

Vol 33 No 3 September 1986

Address : 5205, Leesburg Pike, Falls Church,VA 22041 (USA)

Founded in 1948; members: 18

American Geological Institute is a federa-tion of 18 national scientific and technicalsocieties in the field of geology, geochemistryand solid earth physics.

Aims

o career guidance programmes;

o to improve teaching of geological sciencesin public schools; colleges and universities;

o seeks to main tain high standards of pro-fessional training;

o sponsors documentation and translationservices for geological sciences.

Publications : several of international standards;

o operates GEO-REF, a computer basedreference HIe of world-wide geologicalliterature.

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International Union of Geological Sciences(lUGS)

Address : P.O. Box 379, HAARLEM (Nether-lands)

Founded : 1961; Members : Representatives ofnational committees for geological science;

Aims : International cooperation in geology andrelated science;

Publications: Geological newsletter (quarterly);

Geoscience Information Society

GUPTA

retrieval, dissemination, editing and communi-cation.

Association of Earth Science Editors

Address : C/o American Geological Institute,5205, Leesburg Pike, Falls Churg, VA22041

Founded 1967; Members: 100; editors, manag-ing editors and others in editorial manage-ment positions of publications in the fieldof earth sciences;

Aims:Address : C/o American Geological Institute,

5205, Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 0

22041 (USA)

Founded : 1965; Members : 250; librarians,documentalists, information specialists,editors, geologists, and other earth scien-tists;

Aims

to promote the exchange of information inthe earth sciences;

seeks to recruit technically trained peoplein the profession;

Committees

o

o

o Earth science union list committee;

o Field reference guide books committee;

o Subject headings committee;

o Theses Committee;

Publications

o Newsletter (4/year)

o Proceedings (annual)o Directory, bibliographies, union lists and

scholarly publications.

Geological Information Group (GIG)

The group was founded in 1971 by GeologicalSociety of London to study geological informa---:ion in all its aspects including the principlesof recording, indexing, collation,· storage,

124

o

to promote effective publications ofjournals, reviews, monographs, abstractingperiodicals and services, indexes, micro-cards and other publications which dissemi-nate knowledge on earth sciences.

to be affiliated with AGI and EDITERRA(European Association of Earth ScienceEditors);

Publications: Blueline (quarterly)

CONCLUSIONS

The development of exploration geophysics hasaccelerated in the recent years. The main reasonof this fast development is commercial applica-tion of geophysical methods in search of mineralresources. Information activities are mostlycontrolled by the professional societies. Twoof the societies (SEG and EAEG) are mostlyconc~rned with the science of exploration geo-physics, Both of them are international in theirscope of membership and activities. The nextthree organisation discussed are indirectly orpartially related to exploration geophysics.Association and organizations mentioned next aredirectly concerned with the geoscience infor-marion activities - publishing, documentation,and dissemination and editorial activities. Afurther study of trends of growth in size, volume,number of authors and kinds of materials etc.would be more useful. Citation analysis study ofthe literature could be useful to determine theusage pattern of the information sources.

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DEVELOPMENT OF EXPLORATION GEOPHYSICS

REFERENCES

1. Born, W T j A review of geophysical instrumenta-tion. Geophysics 1960, 25, 77-91.

Craig, J E G : Characteristics of use of geologyliterature. College & Research Libraries 1969, 30,230-6.

3. De Golyer, E : Notes on the early history ofapplied geophysics in petroleum industry. EarlyGeophysical Papers 1935, 245-54.

Eckhardt, E A: A brief history of the gravitymethod of prospecting for oil. Geophysics 1940,5,231-242.

4.

5. Heiland, C A: Advances in techniques and appli-cation of resistivity and potential drop ratiomethods in oil prospecting. Early GeophysicalPapers 1932,420496.

Vol 33 N~ 3 September 1986

6. Medunin, A Y : Concerning the historical aspectof certain methods' employed in ~t.udying theearth and relevant aspects of the classification ofnatural sciences. In The Interaction of Sciences inthe study of earth. 1966.

7. Rust, W M : A historical review of electrical pros-pecting methods. Geophysics 1938, 3, 1-6.

Schriever, William: Reflection seismograph pros-pecting - how it started contribution. Geophysics1952,17,936-977.

8.

9. Weatherby, B B : The history of development ofseismic prospecting. Geophysics 1940, 5, 215-230.

White, J E, Press, Frank : Geophysical researchand progress in exploration. Geophysics 1960, 25,168-80.

10.